Wesley Snipes Gets a Ticket to Fly
Wesley Snipes is free to go…overseas to work on some films, that is.
A federal judge signed off Wednesday on the actor’s request to be able to travel for work while he waits out the appeals process pertaining to his conviction on tax-evasion charges.
According to Senior U.S. District Judge William Terrell Hodges’ ruling, Snipes is allowed to go to London this month to complete postproduction on the horror film Gallowwalker and then to Bangkok in September to film the action flick Chasing the Dragon.
Prosecutors objected to what they called Snipes’ vague estimate of how long he’d be spending in Thailand (eight weeks, the actor said), saying it’s one thing to let him go to England for a week but another to allow him to spend at least two months “beginning a new project half-way around the world with an open-ended return date.”
Snipes was sentenced in April to three years in prison for failing to file multiple income-tax returns but the court has allowed him to remain free while his attorneys appeal his case.
The Happening: What Did You Think?
Were you one of the people who went to see M. Night Shyamalan’s The Happening instead of The Incredible Hulk? I’d be interested to hear what you thought. Ebert may have given the movie three stars, but most American movie critics are throwing Rotten Tomatoes at the screen (only 20% fresh on the Tomatometer). But forget about the critics, I want to know what you guys thought. Please comment below!
My quick thoughts: Shyamalan needs to find a group of creative people to collaborate and bounce ideas off of. Not only is the plot ridiculous, but the characters are unbelievable and speak like no living human being I’ve ever seen or experienced. Shyamalan has directed Mark Wahlberg and Zooey Deschanel, both considered talented actors, into one-dimensional b-movie level performances (for example, think back to Natalie Portman’s performance in the George Lucas-directed Star Wars prequels). Despite promises of M Night’s first R-Rated horror film, Shyamalan keeps most of the violence off screen, and never suceeds at being horrifying even on a psychological level.The resulting film is more unintentionally funny than scary or thrilling. Wahlberg runs away from the wind (…as if you could actually run away from the wind?) and pleads to plastic plants. And the ending is the textbook definition of anti-climatic.
So, what did you think about M. Night Shyamalan’s The Happening?
Hollywood to Award Reality Show Winner with Starring Movie Role?!
With the success of American Idol, I knew it would be only a matter of time before Hollywood would auction off film roles in reality television shows. VH1 has greenlighted a new reality series called Scream Queens which will involve 10 unknown actresses competing for a “Major Role” in a upcoming horror film from Lionsgate Films. The series will consist of eight hour-long episodes, and is set to premiere in the fall.
The horror genre isn’t taken seriously in the first place, but this is a new low. Giving a starring role to a reality show contestant? Am I wrong? I guess you could argue that it isn’t that much different that Project Greenlight. But for some reason the idea of giving a writer/director the funding to make his movie seems a lot less tacky than this. Maybe because the logic of rewarding a contest winner with a starring role instead of finding the best actress for said role, goes beyond all logic. But I guess that happens all the time in Hollywood…
Source: THR
Jessica Alba’s a Mama-to-Be
Jessica Alba and boyfriend Cash Warren will soon be a fantastic three.
The couple is expecting their first child together in late spring or early summer, Alba's rep Brad Cafarelli confirmed Wednesday.
People was first to report news of the pregnancy.
Alba, 26, and Warren, the 28-year-old son of former Hill Street Blues star Michael Warren, have dated on and off since the fall of 2004, after meeting on the set of The Fantastic Four, in which she starred and he worked as a director's assistant.
So far, there's no word on how the impending addition may affect Alba's upcoming production schedule.
She recently wrapped filming on The Love Guru, opposite Mike Myers and Justin Timberlake, and is attached to star in the long delayed Sin City sequel.
She'll also be seen in the horror film The Eye, slated for release Feb. 1.
Alba also recently confirmed she was in talks to make her Broadway debut in a revival of David Mamet's Speed-the-Plow, playing the role originated by Madonna in the 1988 production.
"Well, there's a rumor. Yeah, I've been asked to do it," she said last month on Live with Regis and Kelly.
"But this is just talk. It's not really happening yet," she added.
At the time, Alba said that taking the role next summer might work out to be "perfect timing," should a potential strike by the Screen Actors Guild become a reality in June.
Now, it looks like said strike might coincide with her maternity leave instead.